FREAK INFECTION
A WOMAN suffering flu-like symptoms had her legs and part of her arms amputated due to a "mysterious infection" triggered by her dog's saliva.
Marie Trainer was put on life support and placed into a medically induced coma after she drifted in and out of consciousness while complaining of excruciating hand and leg pains.
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She awoke in disbelief from a 10-day coma to learn that surgeons had removed her limbs to help keep her alive, reports Fox 8.
Marie can't remember what happened, but recalls feeling sick during her 80-day stint in hospital.
She fell ill after returning from a holiday in the Caribbean with her husband Matthew Trainer.
A GoFundMe page set up to help her cover medical expenses explains that on May 10, Marie fell ill "with what everyone thought was flu-like symptoms".
She felt nauseous, had fluctuating temperatures and back pain.
Marie was later rushed to Alliance Community Hospital and "began the fight for her life" after developing sepsis.
By May 12, her condition had deteriorated so much that she "could no longer breathe on her own and was put on life support.
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"On Monday May 13 the family received devastating news that the unknown source of her illness had attacked the small vessels in her arms, hands, legs and feet.
"The mysterious infection had yet to reveal its self and her organs were shutting down. With [few] options left, the family chose to go to Cleveland Clinic for a third opinion," the fundraising page adds.
After being flown by emergency chopper to the hospital, her family received the grave news that to survive, Marie would have to have her arms and legs amputated.
The family soon learnt that the deadly mystery infection was triggered by the bacteria capnocytophaga canimorsus.
Infectious disease specialists told them the bacteria is "native to all dogs and most cats' mouths", and transmission can occur through licks or bites.
The fundraising page adds: "It was just a random and rare occurrence that caused the perfect storm within her body resulting in the devastating illness."
WOUND LICKED BY DOGS
Doctors told her they believe her two dogs might have transmitted the bacteria after licking a small scrape on her arm.
Dr Margaret Kobe, medical director of infectious disease at Aultman Hospital, where the amputations were carried out, told Fox: "[It's] fairly common in the oral flora or the mouth of a dog and it can be be transmitted through a bite, or sometimes just contact with saliva.
"That organism is very virulent. It has the ability to induce your immune system to do some pretty horrible things."
Large clots were removed from Marie's arms in an attempt to save some of her arms and hands.
However, the infection had caused too much damage to the muscles, and the decreased blood flow resulted in her having to have amputations of her legs, hands and most of her arms.
GANGRENE RISK
If surgeons hadn't removed Marie's limbs, she would have died from gangrene and necrosis - when cells in organs or tissue die.
A tearful Marie told Fox 8 there was "lots of healing to do", but she is grateful for her family's support while trying to move forward with rehab and recovery.
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Last year, The Sun Online revealed that a dog owner, Greg Manteuful, of Wisconsin, lost both his legs to the freak infection, a week after being licked by his dog.
Then aged 48, he was infected with the bacteria despite being around dogs all his life.
A professor of virology in the UK said: "Dogs spend half their life with their noses in nasty corners or hovering over dog droppings so their muzzles are full of bacteria, viruses and germs of all sorts.”
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